Characterization of individual airborne particles - methods used and their limitations

The characterization of individual airborne particles plays an important role in assessing environmental contamination. The morphology, elemental composition and surface properties of these particles must be determined for complete characterization.     

A convenient synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of N, N'-Bis(2-propenyl)-2,7-diazapyrenium quaternary salts

N,N'-Bis(2-propenyl)-2,7-diazapyrenium salts are synthesized in good yield from the reaction of 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride with allylamine, followed by LiAlH(4) reduction and subsequent oxidation with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ). The nature of the counteranion depends on the solvent system used for recrystallization of the crude product from the final DDQ-oxidation step. X-ray analysis shows that if recrystallization is carried out in boiling CH(3)OH/H(2)O (1:1, v/v), the counteranion in the resulting deep-red crystals is always the alkoxy anion of 2-cyano-5,6-dichloro-3-hydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone, whether the final DDQ oxidation ends with addition of HClO(4) or HCl; on the other hand, if recrystallization is carried out with anhydrous acetonitrile, the product is N,N'-bis(2-propenyl)-2,7-diazapyrenium diperchlorate or dichloride depending on whether the DDQ oxidation is followed by addition of concd HClO(4) or concd HCl, respectively. Importantly, if the DDQ oxidation is quenched with HBr, Br(-) is oxidized to Br(2) by unreacted DDQ, and the resulting product is N, N'-bis(2,3-dibromopropyl)-2,7-diazapyrenium dibromide. Comparative absorption and time-resolved emission studies provide evidence for possible dimerization of N,N'-bis(2-propenyl)-2,7-diazapyrenium diperchlorate in CH(3)CN.     

Polymer nano-encapsulation of templated mesoporous silica monoliths with improved mechanical properties

Macroporous (1–5 μm) monolithic silica aerogels consisting of both random but also ordered mesoporous walls have been synthesized via an acid-catalyzed sol–gel process from tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) using a triblock co-polymer (Pluronic P123) as a structure-directing agent and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) as a micelle-swelling reagent. Pluronic P123 was removed by Soxhlet extraction, and materials in monolithic form were obtained by extracting the pore filling solvent with liquid CO₂, which eventually was taken out supercritically. Although these monoliths are more robust than base-catalyzed silica aerogels of similar density, nevertheless, the mechanical properties can be improved dramatically by letting an aliphatic di-isocyanate (Desmodur N3200) react with the silanols on the macro- and mesoporous surfaces. As it turns out, the polymer fills the mesopores and coats conformally the macropores of templated samples, so that BET surface areas decrease dramatically, from 550–620 m² g^?1 to <5 m² g^?1. By comparison, polymer nano-encapsulation of non-templated acid-catalyzed aerogels preserves a large fraction of their mesoporous surface area, and BET values decrease from 714 m² g^?1 to 109 m² g^?1. Finally, since polymer nano-encapsulation preserves the macroscopic physical dimensions of the monoliths before drying, comparative analysis of the physical dimensions against XRD data of native versus polymer nano-encapsulated samples provides evidence that upon drying macropores (micron size regime) shrink less than mesopores (nanometer size regime).